Pages

Search Blog

Friday, 21 September 2012

We Can Learn From Our Elders

In the past being
sustainable was not a choice it was the only option, especially if a family was
large and low on funds. As each
generation grew so did wasteful habits. Having more stuff, the latest gadget
and a big house full of electronics was a way of showing wealth and it still
is. The problem with this way of showing wealth is that most people accumulate
stuff to just throw it away, and where does this thrown away stuff end up?

In landfill where it can
take decades to break down!

These days nearly
everything is made from toxic plastic and materials that are not sustainable,
most are designed just for one use. Really what is the use of that? Doesn’t it
make sense to purchase something that you can use over and over again or keep
for a very long time?

Here are some ways that
our elders were naturally sustainable and maybe we can learn a thing or two.

Back
then, people returned milk bottles, soda bottles and beer bottles to the store.
The store sent them back to the plant to be washed and sterilized and refilled,
so it could use the same bottles over and over. So they really were
recycled.

Grocery
stores bagged groceries in brown paper bags, that we reused for numerous
things, most memorable besides household garbage bags, was the use of brown paper
bags as book covers for schoolbooks. This was to ensure that public property,
(the books provided for use by the school) was not defaced by scribble.

People
walked up stairs, because they didn't have an escalator in every store and
office building. They walked to the grocery store and didn't climb into a 300-horsepower
machine every time they had to go two blocks.

Back
then, people washed the baby's diapers because they didn't have the throwaway
kind. They dried clothes on a line, not in an energy-gobbling machine burning
up 220 volts -- wind and solar power really did dry clothes back in the early
days. Kids got hand-me-down clothes from their brothers or sisters, not always
brand-new clothing.

Back
then, there was one TV, or radio, in the house -- not a TV in every room. The TV had a small screen the size of a
handkerchief (remember them?), not a screen the size of the state of Western
Australia. In the kitchen, people blended
and stirred by hand because they didn't have electric machines to do everything
for them. Back then people would grow
their own food and what you didn’t eat for dinner one night was kept for lunch
or dinner the next day. Take out was a treat and not a staple diet.

When
they packaged a fragile item to send in the mail, they used wadded up old
newspapers to cushion it, not Styrofoam or plastic bubble wrap.

Back
then, they didn't fire up an engine and burn gasoline just to cut the lawn.
people used a push mower that ran on human power. People exercised by working
so they didn't need to go to a health club to run on treadmills that operate on
electricity.

People
drank from a fountain or tap when they were thirsty instead of using a plastic
cup or bottle every time they needed a drink of water.

People
refilled writing pens with ink instead of buying a new pen, and replaced the
razor blades in a razor instead of throwing away the whole razor just because
the blade got dull.

Back
then, people took the streetcar or a bus and kids rode their bikes to school or
walked instead of turning their moms into a 24-hour taxi service.We understand safety on the street has changed over the years and it's more important now to teach your children how to be street smart.

There
was one electrical outlet in a room, not an entire bank of sockets to power a
dozen appliances. And they didn't need a computerized gadget to receive a
signal beamed from satellites 23,000 miles out in space in order to find the
nearest burger joint.

If
our past generation survived so can we, our elders were the thriftiest and most
sustainable bunch that we can learn from. Being thrifty does not mean you are
poor it actually saves you money for the better things in life like a holiday
and also helps to preserve our environment for future generations.

Both
of our parents were born in the 40’s and they lived the life above. Both our
parents were never wasteful and saved money for things that lasted. We did not
feel poor as we were growing up, we always had food on the table, clean clothes
and a neat house (that was not the size of a supermarket) the best was getting
out in the garden with our parents and learning about growing our own food.

We
think that in order to move forward we should take a few steps back, learnsustainable habits from our elders, then take that knowledge into the future.

No comments:

Post a Comment

I am passionate about sustainable living and love to share my knowledge to benefit the world. Take a look around my blog and discover sustainability is more than just the environment, it can include all aspects of your life.

Great Links

Contact Us

Pageviews

No liability will be accepted by sustain your life, it's owners or employees as to the accuracy of any information used.No responsibility will be taken for damage to property or persons due to information given.